Sharp Dressed Man
by Narwhale
Summary: Bo is feeling rather down because he feels there is no one who can be compatible with him. But Luke thinks otherwise, and with the help of Luna's knowledge of fashion, he is determined to boost Bo's self esteem. HM: Animal Parade short story.


Bo sat at the kitchen table in the carpentry alone, resting after finishing their latest project. He thought about the time he had spent being an apprentice carpenter. It was Bo's dream to be the best carpenter there ever was, and he was happy to be an apprentice to Dale. At the same time, though, he had wished that he had gotten more out of his work. It seemed exciting at first, but over the years, Bo started to realize just how lonely it was being a carpenter.

"Yo!"

Bo saw Luke entering in his usual upbeat personality, greeting him with a wink.

"Hey," Bo mumbled, leaning on the table with his hand, not bothering to look at Luke.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Luke asked.

"Nothing," Bo mumbled without much enthusiasm.

Luke instantly noticed Bo's reaction. "You gotta keep your head in the game. You were out of it today when we were finishing up Mayor Hamilton's new porch. Look alive."

Luke gave a slight punch to Bo's shoulder, but he barely reacted.

He frowned. "Alright, something's definitely wrong."

He then grabbed a seat and sat in front of Bo, one hand behind the chair and cross legged. "What's up?"

Bo hesitated at first, but he slowly began to open up to Luke. "Well, when I first joined the carpenter's, I knew it would be fun. It was what I always wanted to do. But after some time, I feel that being a carpenter can also be very… lonely… and…"

Luke laughed at Bo's answer. "Is that right?! Are you telling me this great job isn't for you?"

"It's not that!" Bo cried. "I've worked really hard to get to where I am now. I'm not saying I'm happy. I'm just saying-."

"What? That you don't have a girlfriend?" Luke smirked. "Buddy, the way we work, the way we're super toned, we can get any girl we want with just one glance."

Bo stuttered. "I… maybe so…"

Luke sighed heavily. He knew Bo was a person with little confidence, and he only wanted to reassure him.

"Cheer up, man! We're tough carpenters of the Cornet Carpentry! You're really going to sulk over the fact that you don't have a lady?"

Bo's face instantly turned red, both from embarrassment and anger.

"That's not what I'm trying to say!" he shouted before quickly standing up and stomping out the door.

Luke thought to himself for a moment, trying to find an answer for Bo's insecurity, until he finally came up with a solution. He stood up and followed the door leading outside. There, he found Bo staring out over the Garmon mines, arms folded, silent.

"Okay, Bo," Luke started as he approached him. "You really don't think that being a carpenter's enough? You really want to feel better about yourself?"

"Luke, I'm sorry," Bo started apologizing. "It's just-."

"Don't sweat it, man!" Luke laughed. "Look, I've got an answer for all of this."

Bo looked at Luke with great curiosity. "You do?"

"Sure," Luke said, nodding his head. "The first thing we gotta do first is go shopping."

Bo became confused. "Shopping? For groceries?"

"No," Luke laughed. He then put an arm around Bo's neck, grinning with confidence. "For clothes."

* * *

"Ah, Luke and Bo!" Luna greeted the two as they entered the Sonata Tailor. "Such a surprise to see two carpenters such as yourselves come into a clothes store. We don't have anything here to fix, though."

"Oh, no, it's not that," Luke said. "Actually, it's our fashion that needs fixing. See, we're here for new clothes and a new appearance. My buddy, Bo, and I decided to take the rest of this day off and come to the tailor shop in town to see if you have anything that would suit us for an occasion, say, a party."

As Luke explained himself, Bo couldn't help but feel nervous looking at Luna. He instantly noticed that she was attractive, but knew there was no way she would ever like him. He tried his best to keep his composure, but he felt all too nervous and shy being around the pink haired girl.

"Ah, the Brass Bar is reopening tonight after their makeover," Luna said. "I've got such outfits that'll match you and your friend!"

Much of the day was spent having Luna pick out several dozens of outfits that she thought would match both Luke and Bo. There was conflict, however, as with one outfit that Luke would like, Bo would despise, such as pink trousers and a green Hawaiian shirt. Likewise, Luke wasn't fond of Bo's choice of fashion, such as a black and white striped t-shirt with red denim jeans. But both men did agree on one thing; to not to wear the flamingo shirts or the spotted leopard pants with alligator shoes.

Just when they thought all outfits had been worn and Luna's sense of fashion was too bizarre, she had brought them black blazers with red ties and silk hats. And to their surprise, as well as hers, the suited outfits matched them.

"Wow, you two look so professional!" Luna exclaimed, admiring their new looks. "Black blazers and pants, pure white shirt, silk red tie, leather shoes and fedora hat; you guys are sharp dressed men."

"Indeed," Luke laughed as he examined himself in the mirror.

Even Bo was slightly more confident with his new look as he fixed the hat on his head. He had a new sensation in him, new energy, something he hadn't felt since first joining the carpenters. It still didn't help his nervousness around Luna, however.

"Oh, your tie's a bit crooked," Luna said as she noticed Bo's tie. "Here."

As she leaned in closer on him to straighten his tie, Bo felt his face was on fire, his heart racing as he began to sweat.

"There we go," Luna said after she was done. She then noticed Bo's face turning blood red. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, uh, nothing," Bo stuttered. "It's just… it's really hot in this suit, ya know?"

Luna studied him carefully, placing her hands on her hips. "Hm, I can't imagine. But you do look nice, though. Very handsome, in fact. Any lady would fall for you wearing that suit."

Her words nearly made Bo faint, but had it not been for Luke dragging him away, it would have been a disaster for him.

"So, now what?" Bo asked Luke as they stepped outside. "The Brass Bar doesn't open for another hour."

"My dear Bo," Luke said. "You got a new look. A new confidence. It's time that you showed off your manliness. Follow my lead."

Bo was unsure of Luke's plan, as he noticed all they were doing was walking mindlessly around Harmonica town. But Bo began to notice much of the residences stopping in the middle of whatever they were doing and staring at them. Some of them even gave compliments.

"Hey, lookin' good!" Yolanda complimented them.

"I gotta get me a suit like that," Calvin said.

"You fellas' know how to have eyes starin'," Kathy said.

"Looks about as good I was when I was your age," Simon said.

He didn't know what it was, but with all the looks and attention, Bo began to crack a confident smile. He walked proudly beside Luke as they strolled around the town. There was no purpose in the walk other than to show off their new suits, but Bo didn't mind at all.

* * *

When evening had finally arrived and the Brass Bar open, Luke and Bo were, no doubt, the ones that attracted the most attention. Everyone else was dressed semi-formal, but Luke and Bo looked like they went over the top. It didn't stop his confidence, and for once, Bo didn't feel so insecure.

"Man, I don't know what it is, but this feels pretty awesome," Bo said to Luke. "I haven't felt this great in a long time."

"All you just needed was my advice," Luke said. "And look at where we are now! This calls for a celebration!"

The opening was very festive. Everyone was in good spirits, but none of them were as merry as Luke and Bo as they tried the new drink recipes, which had some rather predictable effects on them.

"This is some _gooooooooooooooooooood_ stuff!" Luke exclaimed as he downed his drink.

"Man, I really like the new drinks they have," Bo said as he finished the last drop. "I gotta say, Luke, my confidence meter has just sky rocketed… like, a giraffe's neck, you know what I'm sayin?"

"Yeah, dude," Luke stammered. "It's weird, right? Like, why do they have such long necks in the first place? Hey-hey! What if they, like, had this magical power that could transport you home in an instant?"

"Yeah, right?" Bo agreed without having much thought. "What if animals like the lion, or elephant, or even hippo, could do that, too?"

"Heck yesh!" Luke said as he poured the two of them another drink. "The zoo animals, man! If we had, like, a whistle or something, we could stop world hunger, or even the slender man!"

"Hey, that guy was in a suit, too, right?" Bo asked. "Just like us, man."

"Just like us!" Luke laughed. "We're sharp dressed men. We can do anything!"

After yet another toast and another drink, Bo then noticed in the corner of his eye the same pink haired girl from the Sonata Tailor. He was shocked to see her at such a place.

"H-hey," Luke laughed. "I see what you're doin' there."

Bo tried to play it off. "What are you talking about? I'm staring at the new wall design that they have."

"Dude, we're drunk!" Luke exclaimed. "And from one drunk to another, I can tell that you're staring at her."

"Who?" Bo asked.

"_Her_!" Luke pointed. He then grabbed Bo's face and turned him towards Luna. "That's the one, my boy. We didn't get you this suit for nothing!"

"Luke, I don't know about this," Bo stuttered, but Luke wasn't going to have any of it.

"You said your confident meter was high like a kite! Now, you gotta live up to that standard! Go!"

Luke gave Bo a slight shove, but he stumbled and knocked into Kasey.

"Hey, watch it!" the new farmer shouted.

"S-sorry," Bo apologized.

But as soon as he regained himself, Bo found himself right in front of Luna.

"Oh, hello, Bo!" she greeted him. "I see you're still wearing that suit from my store."

"Oh, uh, yeah," Bo stuttered. He felt his face feel burning hot yet again, sweat pouring from his palm as his heart pounded nervously. "I… uh…"

"Something wrong?" Luna asked.

"N-no, no no!" Bo said, shaking his head. "Nothing's wrong. Boy, they sure have such a lovely new look, don't they?"

"Bo, have you been drinking?" Luna asked him.

"What?!" he exclaimed. "No! It was Luke who's been drinking! And that giraffe from that one game!"

And then the nervousness, mixed with the drinks, finally took their toll on Bo. He felt his stomach twist like a knot, his lungs giving out. His whole body seemed to have gone numb and his system fail as everything that Bo had eaten that very day had violently erupted out from his stomach and everywhere on himself and his new suit. Luna could not hide her shock.

"I...," Bo stammered. "I meant to do that."

"My _god_!" Luna exclaimed in disgust. "Look at you! You just ruined that perfectly good suit!"

Bo had never felt so defeated and ashamed of himself. He could only watch helplessly as Luna scowled at him for nearly throwing up on her and ruining his suit. He knew there was never any chance to be with her, even with a new outfit.

"Bo, look at you," Luna said, shaking her head while sighing. "You're such a mess!"

And then, to Bo's surprise, Luna grabbed him by the hand and pulled him away. "C'mon."

"Hey, wait," Bo said, trying to stop. "Where are we going?"

"Back to my place," Luna said. "I spent a lot of time working on that suit, and there's no way I'll let a drunk like you ruin it."

* * *

And so she dragged him from the Brass Bar, without Luke's knowledge, as he was too busy chatting to Selena, and it didn't go too well and she ended up slapping him, to the tailoring shop.

"Candace and my grandmother are already sleeping," Luna said to Bo as she took him behind the dressing curtains. "So as long as you don't wake them up, they won't mind you being here."

"But Luna, I-." Bo started, but he was interrupted.

"Quiet!" Luna shushed him. "Now, off with your clothes."

Bo was shocked to hear Luna's words. "But I-."

"Now!"

Drunk as Bo was, he knew Luna was a woman with a short temper, and immediately stripped everything off. She left him alone for a while and came back with a fresh pair of clothes that resembled his old ones.

"I'd fine you for ruining such a perfect suit," Luna said to him, "but seeing how messed up you are, you're in no condition to do anything. I'll send the bill to you tomorrow, but for now, you need to get home."

With that, she escorted the drunken Bo all the way back to the Cornet Carpentry and laid him in his bed.

"Now, you stay in bed and don't get up until you're sober enough to remember you have a fee to pay," she told him.

Bo sat on the side of his bed, his head hung low and nodding. Before she left, however, Bo called her out.

"Luna," Bo began. "I.. uh...T-thanks."

Luna smirked at him. "A fool like you can't handle himself when he's drunk, nor would he choose to wear such a fancy suit. He always needs help."

She then turned away from the door and faced Bo. "Tell me, Bo, is something wrong? You're not one to follow Luke's advice so aimlessly. You're smarter than him. And yet, you dressed just like him and drank just like him, too."

Bo thought for a moment before he answered. "I'm… not happy… I mean, I am, but being a carpenter can be lonely sometimes…"

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes. Bo was expecting Luna to laugh at him. He knew she didn't have a reason not to, as it was such a stupid idea. But instead, he was shocked when he felt the peck of lips on his right cheek. Even the slight touch of her lips was enough to send his blood rushing to his brain and painting his face bright red.

"I've heard it before, Bo; you're not completely happy with being a carpenter. Or you feel that no one acknowledges you of being a carpenter. But I can't stand it when someone tries to change themselves. That's not who you are. I know you better than that, Bo. Don't change yourself."

He smiled at her as she smiled back at him. For a moment, Bo had forgotten that he was still intoxicated. Being worn out from his violent stomach hurl, he then laid his head back on the bed. As he was about to knock out, he heard her mutter a few sentences.

"You know, I thought you looked great in that suit, not that you didn't in the first place. Good night, Mr. Sharp Dressed Man."

She then flicked the lights off, leaving Bo by himself as he drifted into a deep sleep, with Luna as the last thing on his mind.

* * *

_Sappy? Maybe. Needs more work? Perhaps. But when an idea comes, you just have to jot it down before it disappears. An odd pairing, if I do say so myself, but I'm going to leave that up for you guys to decide. Anyways, thank you for reading. Until next time, take care.  
_


End file.
